Business Wire

First 1,000 Patients Treated with Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist, a Heart Pump Designed for Surgeons

Share

Abiomed (NASDAQ: ABMD) announces 1,000 patients have been treated with the Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist heart pump in the first year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist its highest level of approval for safety and efficacy.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201105005280/en/

To view this piece of content from mms.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

The Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist heart pump helped Keith Brown, 64, recover from a heart attack. (Photo: Business Wire)

In October 2019, the first U.S. patients were successfully treated by cardiac surgeons at Cleveland Clinic, Hackensack Meridian Health and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Since then, more than 120 hospitals in the U.S. and Europe have implanted the temporary heart pump.

The first 1,000 patients were treated primarily for cardiomyopathy, AMI cardiogenic shock, and post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock, with an average duration of support of 14 days. (see figure 1) Uses of Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist include:

  • Escalating a patient’s care to a higher level of cardiac support
  • Providing bi-ventricular support, when used in combination with Impella RP
  • Unloading the left ventricle of patients on ECMO, a combination therapy known as ECpella

In July, a study published in the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) Journal found 84% survival to explant for Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist patients in cardiogenic shock and other challenging cardiac conditions. 76% of those patients achieved native heart recovery.

In August, the FDA granted Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist, and other left-side Impella heart pumps, an emergency use authorization (EUA) to treat certain patients with COVID-19 related complications who are undergoing ECMO treatment.

In October, the 2020 expert consensus from EACTS, ELSO, STS and AATS named Impella as a Class IIb recommendation as the primary or concomitant treatment option for post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock with severe isolated left ventricular dysfunction. Impella is now recommended in 10 society clinical guidelines and consensus statements.

“We, as heart failure cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, are understanding the effectiveness of Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist as an unprecedented new option for cardiogenic shock patients as a bridge to recovery or bridge to next therapy,” said Shelley Hall, MD, chief, transplant cardiology, MCS and heart failure at Baylor Scott and White Dallas. “This fully unloading device allows us to treat hemodynamically challenged patients faster and easier with improved outcomes. The Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist is contributing to saving lives and giving these critically ill patients a chance at survival.”

One such patient is 64-year-old Keith Brown. After Keith collapsed and went into cardiac arrest, initial treatment methods weren’t effective. That’s when Michael Kwan, MD, and Masahiro Ono, MD, from Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, escalated Keith’s care and implanted Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist to provide maximum support and optimize the opportunity for Keith’s heart to recover.

Keith’s condition immediately began to improve, and he was able to walk around the hospital while on Impella support. The SmartAssist technology helped the physicians with patient management and assisted in weaning Keith off Impella after four days on support. Keith fully recovered and went home with his native heart. Today, Keith cares for his elderly father, enjoys time with his two children, and looks forward to traveling more with his wife.

“The Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist is a promising option for heart failure patients in cardiogenic shock,” said Mani Daneshmand, MD, director of heart & lung transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Emory University Hospital. “A forward flow, minimally invasive heart pump gives surgeons an important new tool. With this heart pump, we have seen exceptional outcomes for our patients.”

“This heart pump is markedly improving the standard of care and enabling the management of higher risk cardiac surgery patients with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. It is incredible to have the opportunity to bring this advanced technology to our patients and see the improved outcomes firsthand,” said Raymond Lee, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Providence Health in Santa Monica, California.

Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist delivers peak flows of greater than 6 liters per minute. Benefits of the Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist include:

  • Impella Connect, providing cloud-based remote monitoring in the COVID-19 era
  • Ease of insertion, via the axillary artery or anterior aorta
  • Designed for long-duration support, with patient ambulation, ceramic bearings and no pigtail
  • Forward flow with maximum unloading, to provide end organ and coronary perfusion and allow the heart to rest
  • Enables heart recovery, as a minimally invasive, weanable VAD
  • Ease of patient management, can be intelligently positioned, weaned and managed with SmartAssist

It is available in the U.S. and Europe for hospitals with established heart recovery protocols.

ABOUT ABIOMED

Based in Danvers, Massachusetts, USA, Abiomed, Inc. is a leading provider of medical devices that provide circulatory support. Our products are designed to enable the heart to rest by improving blood flow and/or performing the pumping of the heart. For additional information, please visit: www.abiomed.com.

ABOUT IMPELLA HEART PUMPS

The Impella 2.5, Impella CP, Impella CP with SmartAssist®, Impella 5.0®, Impella LD®, and Impella 5.5® with SmartAssist® are U.S. FDA approved to treat heart attack or cardiomyopathy patients in cardiogenic shock, and have the unique ability to enable native heart recovery, allowing patients to return home with their own heart.

Impella Left Ventricular (LV) Support Systems are also authorized for emergency use by HCPs in the hospital setting for providing temporary (≤ 4 days for Impella 2.5, Impella CP, and Impella CP with SmartAssist; and ≤ 14 days for Impella 5.0 and Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist) LV unloading and support to treat critical care patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection who are undergoing ECMO treatment and who develop pulmonary edema while on V-A ECMO support or late cardiac decompensation from myocarditis while on V-V ECMO support. The authorized Impella LV Support Systems have neither been cleared or approved for the authorized indication for use. The Impella RP and Impella LV Support Systems have been authorized for the above emergency use by FDA under an EUA and have been authorized only for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of medical devices under section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.

The Impella RP® is U.S. FDA approved to treat right heart failure or decompensation following left ventricular assist device implantation, myocardial infarction, heart transplant or open-heart surgery.

The Impella RP is also authorized for emergency use by healthcare providers (HCPs) in the hospital setting for providing temporary right ventricular support for up to 14 days in critical care patients with a body surface area ≥1.5 m2, for the treatment of acute right heart failure or decompensation caused by complications related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including pulmonary embolism (PE). The Impella RP has not been cleared or approved for the treatment of acute right heart failure or decompensation caused by complications related to COVID-19.

Impella Left Ventricular (LV) Support Systems are also authorized for emergency use by HCPs in the hospital setting for providing temporary (≤ 4 days for Impella 2.5, Impella CP, and Impella CP with SmartAssist; and ≤ 14 days for Impella 5.0 and Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist) LV unloading and support to treat critical care patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection who are undergoing ECMO treatment and who develop pulmonary edema while on V-A ECMO support or late cardiac decompensation from myocarditis while on V-V ECMO support. The authorized Impella LV Support Systems have neither been cleared or approved for the authorized indication for use. The Impella RP and Impella LV Support Systems have been authorized for the above emergency use by FDA under an EUA and have been authorized only for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of the emergency use of medical devices under section 564(b)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360bbb-3(b)(1), unless the authorization is terminated or revoked sooner.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Abiomed's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Sarah Karr
Communications Manager
(978) 882-8211
skarr@abiomed.com

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
24 Martin Lane
EC4R 0DR London

+44 20 7626 1982http://www.businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Social Development Bank Highlights Strategic Partnerships and Global Initiatives at DeveGo 202524.12.2025 17:27:00 CET | Press Release

The Social Development Bank (SDB) hosted the second edition of the Entrepreneurship and Modern Business Practices Forum, “DeveGo 2025”, from 21 to 23 December in Riyadh. Held under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Chairman of SDB’s Board of Directors, the forum brings together government leaders, global experts, investors, and entrepreneurs to shape the future of entrepreneurship and modern business practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251224036724/en/ From right to left: Ahmed Al Rajhi, Saudi's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, H.E. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and Sultan Al Hamidi, CEO of Social Development (Photo: AETOSWire) Opening the forum, Minister Al Rajhi delivered a keynote speech on the growing vibrancy of Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurial movem

Making Science Unveils ‘AWAKE’: The AI Venture Studio Industrialising Startup Creation and AI-First Innovative Solutions23.12.2025 20:51:00 CET | Press Release

Making Science, the global digital acceleration consultancy, today announced the launch of AWAKE Venture Studio. This "AI-first" model represents a new era in systematic innovation, designed to identify, prototype, and scale both internal proprietary solutions and independent AI-native startups with global reach. The launch of AWAKE is motivated by the significant efficiency gains of orders of magnitude that Making Science has already achieved through the internal integration of AI. By applying these methods, the firm has achieved a 2x acceleration in tech feature development reducing time in the deployment of AI Agents. This model has already proven its commercial and innovative power through the acceleration of startups like ad-machina, which has multiplied its value by 10 since joining the Making Science ecosystem. These proven benchmarks serve as the technical foundation for AWAKE’s two interconnected engines, which formalise this efficiency into a repeatable manufacturing process

FDA Clears First Extended Depth of Focus Contact Lens for Presbyopia23.12.2025 18:07:00 CET | Press Release

The Cataltheia Group and its U.S. subsidiary, Bruno Vision Care LLC, a leader in eye health innovation, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the first and only Daily Disposable Soft (Hydrophilic) Contact Lens for Presbyopia utilizing patented Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) optical design technology, enabling commercial distribution in the United States. Deseyne® delivers smooth, continuous focus across near, intermediate, and distance vision, providing clear, natural vision without compromise. This performance is enabled by Cataltheia’s patented hyper-refractive central zone, engineered to precisely redirect light in a controlled manner. The result is a clear clinical advantage over the only other available contact lens option for presbyopia, multifocal lenses, which rely on multiple optical zones and often require prolonged visual and cognitive adaptation. “We are proud to offer the first contact lens solution for the world’s aging population th

Aramco Awards SLB Long-Term Contract to Support Kingdom’s Unconventional Gas Production Growth23.12.2025 14:58:00 CET | Press Release

Global technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) has been awarded a five-year contract by Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields. This award is part of a broader multi-billion contract, supporting one of the largest unconventional gas development programs globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251223074948/en/ The contract encompasses advanced stimulation, well intervention, frac automation, and digital solutions, which are important to unlocking the potential of Saudi Arabia’s unconventional gas resources. The contract encompasses advanced stimulation, well intervention, frac automation, and digital solutions, which are important to unlocking the potential of Saudi Arabia’s unconventional gas resources — a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s strategy to diversify its energy portfolio and support the global energy transition. “This agreement is an important step forward in Aramco’s effor

Tabelog, Japan's Largest (*1) Restaurant Search and Reservation Service, Launches Multilingual App for International Visitors23.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press Release

Tabelog (https://tabelog.com/en/), Japan's largest restaurant search and reservation service operated by Kakaku.com, Inc., launched its multilingual smartphone application (iOS/Android) for international travelers on Monday, November 17, 2025. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251221963753/en/ The Tabelog Multilingual App for International Travelers — Japan's Largest Restaurant Search and Reservation Service With approximately 100 million monthly users(*3), Tabelog is Japan's premier service widely used by Japanese locals for daily restaurant discovery. Its database is unrivaled domestically, featuring information on approximately 890,000 establishments nationwide and over 85 million reviews and photos(*4). Unlike global map services or travel sites, Tabelog is built on "authentic ratings and reviews from local Japanese users," enabling travelers to discover truly exceptional restaurants beloved by locals — not

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye